Sand Sharks stay in conference hunt

The University of South Carolina Beaufort baseball team completed a three-game Sun Conference sweep of Webber International on Saturday.

A dazzling game-ending double play sealed a 3-2 win in the opener, and the No. 19 Sand Sharks finished the sweep with a 6-3 win in the nightcap at Richard Gray Sports Complex.

The Sand Sharks (34-14, 20-7 Sun Conference) pulled even with Embry-Riddle atop the conference standings and moved 1 1/2 games ahead of St. Thomas.

USCB needs both Embry-Riddle and St. Thomas to lose at least once to win the title. If all three end up tied for first, St. Thomas would earn the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament, with USCB second and Embry-Riddle third.

Those scenarios might have been moot for USCB if not for a stunning defensive play that preserved a 3-2 win in Saturday’s first game.

With the bases loaded and one out, Webber International’s Shane McIntyre hit a bouncer up the middle that seemed destined for center field.

But second baseman Gabe Torres made a diving, backhand stop and flipped the ball to second while lying on his stomach. Shortstop Weldon Smith caught the toss with his barehand and wheeled around to throw a strike to Erik Armstrong at first for a game-ending double play.

The spectacular play preserved the win for senior left-hander Adam Miller (8-4), who allowed two runs on seven hits over six innings. Senior lefty Colton Rudd earned his fourth save with three scoreless innings of two-hit ball.

The Sand Sharks grabbed a quick 4-0 lead in the second game, as Dylan Nasiatka and Conald Mansfield drove in runs in the first inning and David O’Neil added a two-run single in the second.

The Warriors got within 4-3, but Keenan Ivey added a solo home run — his first as a Sand Shark — in the seventh, and Keifer Youmans capped the scoring with an RBI double in the eighth.

Miles Galvin (5-0) earned the win, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits over six innings, and three relievers — Alex Graham, Junior Delatorre and Matt Barger — worked a scoreless inning apiece. Barger earned his third save.

The Sand Sharks will head to the Sun Conference tournament May 1-5 at City of Palms Park in Fort Myers, Fla.

The USCB pitching staff once again stole the show Saturday at Richard Gray Sports Complex.

Kristy Cook and Cara Jamerson combined on a five-hit shutout to lead the Sand Shark softball team to a 5-0 win and a three-game sweep of Sun Conference opponent Ave Maria.

Cook, who opened the series with a no-hitter Friday, allowed two hits and a walk over five innings to improve to 16-3. Jamerson worked around three hits and a walk in two scoreless innings to finish off USCB’s third straight shutout.

The Gyrenes managed only nine hits and did not score a run in the series.

Shelby Zipperer singled and moved to third on a wild pitch and throwing error on the same play, then scored on Katie Rietkovich’s groundout in the first inning.

USCB (31-8, 10-4 Sun Conference) added two more on Sam Boland’s home run to left-center and tacked on insurance runs in the fourth and sixth. The first came on a double steal, and the final run scored on Kalin Martin’s squeeze bunt.

The Sand Sharks remained in second place in the Sun Conference heading into a key series at SCAD this weekend. The Bees began the weekend tied for second with USCB but were unable to complete their series at Northwood. Webber International is 1 1/2 games ahead of USCB for the lead.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Senior Adriana Saavedra and sophomore Kendra Collins were named all-conference, and the USCB women’s golf team finished in a tie for third Sunday in the Sun Conference Championship at LPGA International.

SCAD claimed the team title with a score of 612, three shots ahead of Northwood. The Sand Sharks and Embry-Riddle tied for third at 628.

Saavedra and Collins were among 10 players selected for all-conference honors based on their play in conference events throughout the season.